"Son of a bitch!" Leo couldn't help but curse inwardly. He imagined many others present felt the same way. Seeing the smug, self-satisfied look on that Hawk's face, Leo was disgusted. Even if he had spirit stones, he wouldn't bribe someone like that. Once they reached the Palace of the Heavenly Apex, there would be other ways to find things out.

  "Brother Van, Brother Van! What did that Senior Brother Hawk just tell you?"

  But things didn't go quite as Hawk had expected. No sooner had he finished whispering to Van Gus than the other family cultivators swarmed around Gus, bombarding him with questions.

  Hawk's brow furrowed. He had intended to tell only Gus, expecting the others would come to him with spirit stones to buy information. He hadn't anticipated this development. What made it worse was that Van Gus, with his flamboyant personality, was only too happy to show off. Flattered by the attention from the other cultivators, he started talking.

  Watching the play of expressions on Hawk's face, Leo chuckled inwardly. Served him right. Even for family cultivators, ten spirit stones wasn't a fortune, but it certainly wasn't something to be thrown away casually. It was only because Van Gus came from a wealthy family and was used to throwing his weight around that he was so free with his money.

  In truth, the families had already paid a heavy price to support them in entering the sect. Once these people joined the sect, even if they had family elders within, they would largely have to rely on themselves. The families still had younger children to raise and train. They couldn't pour all their resources into just a few.

  "Serves him right. He's just a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator anyway. It's not like his cultivation is so much higher than ours. He only entered earlier. What's there to be so arrogant about?" The red-faced man muttered gleefully from the side.

  With so many people asking, Van Gus first told his two close friends, then, unable to withstand the inquiries from the other family cultivators, repeated himself once or twice. Soon growing annoyed, he couldn't help but raise his voice. Leo and the other ordinary loose cultivators pricked up their ears and, for free, managed to glean the information Hawk had tried to sell.

  It turned out these four Foundation Establishment seniors were all escorts for the new disciples on the journey back to the Palace of the Heavenly Apex. The road was long and might be plagued by demon beasts. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could guarantee their safety.

  Among these four seniors, the sternest old man was named Sam. He was rigid and strict. The short, dark, silent old man was called Mist. He was deep and taciturn. The remaining two were Linn and Houth. They were relatively unrestrained; one didn't need to be overly cautious around them, just careful not to offend them with careless words.

  About another half hour passed, and the small courtyard filled with thirty new disciples. This year's recruitment for the Palace of the Heavenly Apex had, for now, concluded. As Sam, Mist, and the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators walked into the courtyard, the murmuring crowd of new disciples fell into an instant, dead silence.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Among this year's new disciples, there are a few with decent aptitude. The previous batches from Moon Creek Valley were all mediocre. This time, I'm taking at least a third of the good ones." Linn was the first to speak up.

  "Not a chance. There's not enough to go around, and nobody wants the mediocre ones. Our Spirit Longevity Peak isn't taking any low-grade leftovers." Houth immediately objected. "I don't care about the rest, but among these seven outstanding disciples, I'm taking two."

  The argument dragged on unresolved. Finally, the short, dark, and taciturn Mist cleared his throat and said, "How about this? I'll compromise and only take one outstanding disciple. But you know I have to answer to Peak Master Satt when I get back. You compensate me with some spirit stones or spiritual herbs. Also, that one named Leo—I find him quite agreeable. Let me take him as well. What do you say?"

  A flicker of surprise crossed Leo's eyes. He wondered why Mist had singled him out. A sense of caution rose within him.

  "Haha, excellent! The Azure Lotus Peak always ends up at the bottom of the sect competitions anyway. It seems Peak Master Satt has given up all hope. How about this: each of us chips in a bit of our mission reward for you, Senior Brother Mist. As for the other disciples, we'll draw lots to decide." Houth laughed heartily and immediately agreed to Mist's proposal.

  Sam and Linn had no objections either. The thirty disciples were quickly assigned.

  "Alright, since the assignment is settled, let's set off immediately. This Moonwatch Immortal City is just a city for loose cultivators. The spiritual energy density here is far inferior to the sect's. A few days here and I already feel uncomfortable all over." Impatiently, Linn produced a small green sword. The sword's aura was piercing; its form swelled dramatically in the wind to over six meters long and about a meter wide, easily accommodating nearly ten people.

  Linn beckoned to the disciples assigned to her. "Stop dawdling. All aboard."

  Including the two menial disciples handling registration, there were thirty-two people in total. Each Senior was to escort eight. The eight disciples assigned to Linn, awestruck and obedient, boarded the floating sword one by one.

  "Rise!" Linn gave a delicate shout. The green flying sword trembled, then lifted into the air. A faint, circular green light shield materialized, enveloping the sword and its passengers, and shot off into the distant sky.

  "Junior Sister Linn, don't fly off too fast. I'll be right there." Houth, pleased with the two outstanding disciples in his group, also produced a crimson flying sword.

  The stern and rigid Sam used a white flying shuttle. The three sped away into the air one after another. Only then did Mist produce his magic artifact, a blue gourd. With a sharp command from Mist, the gourd expanded to the size of a small boat. Leo and the others boarded one by one.

  "No talking during the journey. Disturb my peace, and I will punish you without mercy." Mist instructed coldly, then sat cross-legged at the front of the treasure gourd, ignoring the disciples completely.

  Everyone exchanged glances. This was their first time riding a magic artifact that could fly through the air and change size at will. Looking down at the bustling Moonwatch Immortal City and the busy loose cultivators, while they perched high above on the magic artifact, their hearts swelled with barely contained excitement. They were about to chat when Mist's words doused them with cold water. But Mist's cultivation was far above theirs. If he took offense and threw them off the artifact, not only would they fail to reach the sect, they'd lose their lives for nothing.

  Leo, however, felt none of the other disciples' excitement or curiosity. From the moment he stepped onto the flying gourd artifact, his brow was slightly furrowed. Not only was his aptitude unremarkable—his five elemental spiritual roots each at eighteen points made him the worst among this batch of disciples—yet Mist had specifically requested him. This defied logic. Mist had appeared short, dark, and honest in front of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, but once they parted, he seemed like a different person, even harder to deal with.

  But now, he was completely at Mist's mercy. After racking his brains for a while, Leo could think of no solution. The gap in strength was too vast. It was beyond his control. He would have to take things one step at a time and see what Mist was really plotting.